C3 Heavy Stepping on the Road of Cultivation

Yu Haoran was well-acquainted with Wu Shaohua. Back in their school days, Lee Wen had a host of admirers, and Wu Shaohua was the most aggressive among them. Yet, he was known throughout Zrikta as a notorious playboy, surrounded by countless women, his interest in Lee Wen driven purely by his possessive desires—the more unattainable she was, the more he valued her.

Lee Wen, seeing through his facade, chose the honest and unassuming Yu Haoran. She was so committed to their marriage that she was willing to sever ties with her own family. At that time, Yu Haoran had nothing to his name. Their wedding, attended only by themselves, was modest to the point of being pitiful, turning the Lee family into the laughingstock of Zrikta.

Consequently, aside from his aunt Lee Rong, no one in the Lee family held Yu Haoran in high regard. The moniker "outcast" was coined by Wu Shaohua himself as a form of mockery.

The Wu family, to which Wu Shaohua belonged, was a leading household in Zrikta, even more influential than the Lee family. Despite the marriage, Wu Shaohua's harassment of Lee Wen persisted. He would frequently loiter outside her company, only to be rebuffed each time. Luckily, not long after, Lee Wen became pregnant and left her job to stay at home, which put an end to his troubling advances.

To Yu Haoran's dismay, after his disappearance, Wu Shaohua's malicious intentions resurfaced. He even leveraged the influence of both prominent families to coerce Lee Wen into remarriage.

"Wu Shaohua, you're digging your own grave!" Yu Haoran seethed. "I overlooked your relentless pursuit of Lee Wen in the past. I could have forgiven you if your concern for her and our daughter was genuine after I vanished. But you crossed the line by resorting to force."

With eyes blazing, Yu Haoran's murderous intent surged. "How dare you threaten and bully the wife and daughter of Yu Haoran, the God-King of the Divine World!"

In that instant, Wu Shaohua and the entire Wu family were marked for death in Yu Haoran's mind. "Once I find Lee Wen, I will settle scores with the Wu family, one by one!"

Pushing down the rage within, Yu Haoran turned to Lee Rong and said, "Take me to that nun. I'm going to bring your sister home."

Overwhelmed by Yu Haoran's commanding presence, Lee Rong's fury dissipated into thin air. Shaking her head with a wry smile, she said, "Where would I even begin to look? Do you think I haven't tried?"

"That nun, when she took my sister away, had once visited Zrikta, meeting with my sister and Grandfather."

"After that visit, Grandfather stopped pressuring her into marriage and entrusted Tuantuan's care to me."

"I once overheard Grandfather say that the nun was no ordinary person. She was a revered master from a legendary sect. Her meeting with my sister and taking her on as a disciple were all part of her plan. It was no mere chance that she was seeking her successor."

When speaking of the nun, Lee Rong's face was etched with awe. She had witnessed her usually formidable grandfather cower in the nun's presence.

"A legendary sect?" Yu Haoran murmured, nodding thoughtfully.

The nun's ability to awe the Lee family confirmed she was indeed a reclusive sage.

The connections between the Radiant Empyrean and Earth appeared to be more than mere happenstance.

If he could travel to the Divine World and back to Earth, then perhaps other sages from the remaining thirty-one levels also resided on Earth.

If even Lee Rong couldn't locate Lee Wen, it suggested she was hidden away in some secret place.

Clearly, conventional methods to retrieve his wife were not going to work.

"If only my godhead hadn't shattered when I returned from the Divine World, losing all my magical powers. With the All-Seeing Eye, I could have easily found Lee Wen by surveying the entire Earth."

"Now, only my Divine Body remains, with barely a fraction of its former strength. It's sufficient against ordinary people, but against practitioners, I am utterly powerless."

"Even if I were to find Lee Wen, I doubt I could easily bring her back."

"Starting tonight, I'll begin to regain my cultivation... I don't need the realm of a God-King. Even the power of an ordinary Immortal Realm would be enough to stand above the whole Earth."

Yu Haoran sighed inwardly, resolute in his decision.

He needed to rebuild his foundation quickly, without shortcuts, advancing one step at a time.

"Lee Wen, I know you've endured much these past three years. I, Yu Haoran, have been graced by your selfless care. Starting today, I vow to repay you for all you've lost."

"Although you left to avoid Wu Shaohua's forced marriage, it was also because I was absent."

"No matter how far I have to search, I will find you."

Filled with a vast divine sense, Yu Haoran made a vow and rose from Lee Rong's room.

"Yu Haoran."

Lee Rong called out quickly, "Where have you been these past three years? Why haven't we heard from you, and why reappear so suddenly? Don't you think you owe an explanation?"

"Some things can't be understood until you reach a certain level. Speaking more about it is pointless," Yu Haoran responded coolly.

"You..." Lee Rong was so frustrated she nearly threw another punch his way.

But recalling the formidable presence he exuded, she reluctantly let the thought go.

"Thank you for looking after Tuantuan these past two years. I, Yu Haoran, will never forget your kindness," he said, then proceeded into the master bedroom.

"Who needs your gratitude? I'm Tuantuan's aunt, the one she calls mommy!" Lee Rong muttered through clenched teeth, her fists balled in frustration, yet feeling helpless.

...

Deep into the night.

Yu Haoran sat cross-legged on the bed, almost able to detect the lingering scent of Lee Wen's unique fragrance in the room.

The residual scent helped him quickly quiet his mind as he attempted to practice cultivation.

To find Lee Wen, he needed formidable strength.

Currently, Yu Haoran's godhead was shattered, his divine power entirely lost; he was unable to cultivate the powers of the Radiant Empyrean.

But during his three centuries in the Divine World, Yu Haoran had acquired not only the path of spirit cultivation but also the art of diabolism.

His body was now incredibly strong, surpassing any ordinary person and even more formidable than the Lee family's bodyguards he had encountered before.

The path of diabolism was the most fitting and quickest way to achieve his goal.

For Yu Haoran, the distinction between god and devil was a mere thought away, not inherently evil.

To reunite with his wife and protect his daughter, he was willing to transform from a God-King into a Devil Emperor.

And there was nothing wrong with that.

The Heaven Devouring Devil Art unfolded within Yu Haoran's mind, a technique he had acquired from the consciousness of the Demon Emperor he had once vanquished.

In the realm of cultivation, mastering one method opens the door to understanding all methods.

Yu Haoran, having once reached the exalted God-King Realm, could effortlessly perceive the true nature of any cultivation method and distill its purest essence.

Following the prescribed technique, his chest expanded and contracted rhythmically, breathing in a profoundly mystical manner.

The air around him, stirred by his breath, transformed into countless minuscule vortices, funneling into the major acupoints throughout his body.

"Hmm? This presence... it doesn't seem to be demonic energy." Yu Haoran quickly discerned a sphere of Qi forming in his elixir field, yet it was distinct from the demonic energy he had previously encountered.

Lacking the sharp purity of demonic energy, it was diffuse yet possessed an undeniable clarity and righteousness.

"Could it be that cultivation methods from the Divine World undergo a transformation when brought into the Mortal Realm? This aura, it reminds me of the spiritual Qi encountered in martial artists on Earth!" With Yu Haoran's vast experience, he grasped this realization in an instant.

Beyond the interconnected realms of gods and demons, the Mortal Realm could only be reached by other realms through serendipity.

As the spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth varied, so too did the impact of cultivation methods.

While the vigor of a martial artist's Qi paled in comparison to demonic energy and divine power, such was the law of the Mortal Realm, and one must adhere to it in their practice. Only by finding a means to restore his godhead could he then contemplate the return of his Divine Power.

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